We went here last night. We decided to do takeout after seeing the other reviews that the place is a bit dumpy. Placed our order on the phone. It was a tad difficult to understand the guy on the phone and he never asked for a name to put the order under so I was a bit nervous if he got our order right. Showing up, the restaurant was much nicer inside than I was expecting (I've become accustomed to really dumpy indian restaurants).... but it was an absolute gost town inside. The second nice surprise was that our order was ready on time and was correct. The man at the counter was well presenting and quite nice. The food was pretty good... A bit small serving size for the price The real difficulty in this place is the absolute plethora of indian restaurants in the area. If you value absolute closeness as the primary objective, you can't go wrong.... but there is just so many other options in the area to recommend this place. Nothing wrong with the place, yet nothing great.
(3)
Abha S.
Love the masala dosa here (they have a wide variety but I always end up with the masala dosa!) and the delish chutney's and follow it up with a cup of masala chai. Never disappoints :D Every time I crave a dosa I am here :)
(4)
Andrew T.
I'm impressed with Dakshin based on a good variety of vegetarian dishes. They do have both meat and vegetarian, but I felt like the meat was just okay - some standard chicken tikka masala, some very fatty/bone-in (although flavorful) goat, and a some chicken tandoori that looked a little dry, so I kind of confined myself to some excellent paneer and chick pea dishes. It's important to mention that this was a Friday night dinner buffet, which is a pleasant surprise. They also served us some pretty good dosa and decent naan, but it took forever to an fellow diner to get a Coke to go with his meal. They weren't hugely busy, so I'm not sure why. In addition to the buffet, they had several deserts: rice kheer, mango khulfi, and carrot halwa. I didn't sample the carrot, but the kheer was pretty tasty, and the khulfi was excellent. The price is right, and the food is good - I can see a fourth star if, as other who have been multiple times have reported, the dishes vary from week to week.
(3)
Min C.
Divine Indian food- consistent performance for years--- every time.
(5)
Lil S.
The food here has always been good in the 3 years that hubby and I have been coming. Some of our favorites are the Veggie Samosas, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi and Lamb Moghalai. The garlic naan is also delicious. It's usually pretty empty here, unless you go on the weekend, and even then, it doesn't tend to get busy til later. The decor (what little there is) could seriously use some updating. Very plain interior, stark white walls. We usually buy a restaurant.com coupon when we dine here. They also DO NOT serve alcohol.
(3)
Rajeev B.
Half cooked vadas, flies in dinning area. When the guests complained about flies, manager's response was "sorry sir we have tried our best, these flies don't go". Dosas were with cold masala. Chicken was too dry. Total waste of money
(1)
Zamir S.
This place is excellent, to say it like a true Desi - "it is simply first class". I believe the name of the restaurant has changed to Dakshin. The chef puts time and care in the food. The vegetarian tastes are original and you will not be disappointed. I have not tried the few non-veg dishes, but would not recommend them This is truly a vegetarian place that just wants to cater to those few meat eaters that come in every now and then. I've had every dish in the buffet many times, and each time they even add a creative dish almost fusion-like. They bring small dosas (unlimited) to your table fresh off the tawa (few Indian buffets do this). I almost forgot to mention that they serve Indo-Chinese as well, and they do it right.
(5)
Gwendolyn H.
I found the service very good and the lunch buffet was tasty. I would go back again.
(4)
Franchesca M.
Location was very difficult to find and that was with a quality GPS. The portion size was not great for $24. The crepe was hard and the nan was burned instead of light golden brown/white. I wouldn't return here due to the quality of the food and taste. I know I spoke about portion size but I am actually happy that the portions were small due to the food not being so to my liking. However, if they are in business someone is eating the food.
(2)
charlotte s.
for what it is, i'd come back. the restaurant is located in a rather deserted strip mall with just a few other indian shops next door... possibly owned by the same people but i don't know. the owners must certainly have other businesses too because i don't see how they would ever be able to survive on this restaurant alone. it's a decent sized dining room with a few random decorations. there weren't any other diners when my brother and i came for dinner one weeknight... just a few men gathered at one of the tables talking and drinking coffee/tea with a bunch of newspapers n such... probably friends of the owners or family? the service was friendly and the food was good and filling... though we did order quite a bit of food just cus we wanted to eat a few different dishes. we had veggie samosas, chicken tikka masala, palak paneer, and naan (which were super fresh and made to order... so make sure you order enough first time around because if you order more after your meal has arrived it will take a long time... we ordered 3 naans for two but if you don't eat that much then one per person should be enough) and rice came with the food as well. we had enough left over to take home and eat as a snack the next day. prices are relatively reasonable too. i'd definitely come back if i was in the area. for lunch i think they have a buffet.
(4)
Alan L.
Arrived at 6pm we were the only people in the restaurant until we left, the biggest disappointment was there is no alcohol, not even beer. The water was warm they said they had no ice? Ordered a vegetarian combo platter everything was fried and overlooked , dry and all tasted the same. The chicken Madras was ok nothing worth mentioning. The decor was depressing, don't think we will be back anytime soon.
(2)
Brandy W.
I thought this place deserved 4-5 stars. We were the only table seated the entire evening. In their defense, it was snowing and people simply don't know how to drive and probably saw themselves being home as a better option. The menu is HUGE. They have mostly southern specialties but definitely have some items I've never heard of before. We were never asked if we wanted drinks, so we simply drank water the entire night (all 6 of us!). I imagine we would've ordered and brought the bill higher if they would have simply asked. Their loss. They were great about refilling waters, however. We started with veggie samosas and they were excellent. I had the Dal Makhani as my entree and it was awesome. Perfectly simmered lentils and perfect spicing. The rest of the table enjoyed meat dishes. I know a few had chicken curry and one had chicken mushroom. The other two... don't remember. We all really enjoyed our meals. I'm not sure what the items come with standard because we all upgraded our entrees to come with a bunch of things for like $4 more. We had a side of soup, something sweet/sour, a dessert, onions/lime, yogurt sauce, 4 slices of naan (=1 whole round each), basmati rice, and our entrees. The portions for our entrees were quite large and we were all super stuffed when we left. We had a $25 off restaurant.com gift certificate and 18% gratuity was included. For 6 FULL entrees (enough for two meals = leftovers) with sides and an appetizer, the bill came to $128. We used the coupon and were down to $103. I'd say that wasn't so terrible because it averaged to about $17 per person for a nice experience and great food. Definitely use the coupon and order sides. We'll definitely go back. It was excellent. The location was terrible as you cannot see it off the road (Ogden) unless you're searching for it. It's in the very corner of the strip mall next to a Hookah lounge. The big deserted building next to it looks like it used to be a Kmart or something. There's also a BBQ pit place in the same lot.
(4)
Jon T.
Five of us hit this restaurant on a Friday evening. We had reservations for 6:30 which turned out to be unnecessary. When we arrived there was only one other group seated, so we had our doubts. It is not the easiest place to find tucked back into the corner of a strip mall. It turns out that Friday night features a buffet. There is a vegetarian section and a non-vegetarian section. The surprise for me was that the vegetarian dishes were very much like the food that our Gujarati friends serve us at their home in St Louis, even though Dakshin is south Indian. This food is not the standard meat curries that you find at the cookie cutter Indian restaurants. Those may be on the menu that we did not peruse. There was rasam, and sambar. There were very good mixed vegetables, excellent okra as well as a delicately seasoned green bean dish with channa dal. There was, of course, plain rice and well seasoned rice. There was a very nice mattar paneer with a delicious red sauce as well as some of the best saag I have had in some time. This was not all, there were more things that I cannot remember. On the non-vegetarian line-up were an excellent goat curry, biryani chicken, chile chicken (also excellent) and the obligatory tandoori chicken. The naan was wonderful and we enjoyed at least six chutneys. We also had dosas and pooris. I liked the yogurt rice which was unlike anything I have had. I did not sample the sweet dessert offerings. The place was practically full of Indian families when we finished and reluctantly departed. It was a very pleasant evening and I would like to return. It's too bad we don't live closer. The food is more home-style and breaks away from the run-of-the-mill predictable Indian to be found at many restaurants. If you have an appreciation for some of the regional differences of Indian cooking, give this a try on a weekend evening when the buffet is in operation.
(4)
Sue T.
Still good but it seems like the Friday night buffet choices have been reduced. Several preparations were mostly sauce/liquid with very few vegetables. Even the dal was runny. Four of the hot dishes and two of the cold were white rice with various seasonings.
(3)
Michelle K.
The best part about buffets is that you can try a bunch of random dishes with no commitment! Buffets are the "Casual Encounters" section of restaurant industry. When Dakshin popped up as a Groupon a few months ago, I was eager to hit up their buffet, and I'm glad I did. The server brought dosas and naan to our table, which were very good, especially the light, slightly crispy dosas. I tried their lamb biryani and chicken makhani, which were fine, but I found myself returning most often to the vegetarian side table for delicious veggie samosas, pakoras, and aloo gobi. There was also a mushroom curry that was creamy, spicy, and awesome. I probably wouldn't have ordered that one on my own. Hooray for buffets!
(4)
J W.
The best samosas in town are here. We went on a weeknight and it was not busy. We ordered the samosas, aloo gobi, and a spinach dish. The wait staff was incredibly nice and since we were new they sent a few things to our table that were complimentary, which was very nice. We tried the dosas and the lentil soup, which was very good. The thing that I liked the best, besides the samosas was that the vegetables were not cooked to oblivion in the dishes. They still were not only recognizable, but had structural integrity... For example the peppers were still a little crunchy and that was nice. The portions were generous. They had a great spicy tamarin chutney, but their mint chutney wasn't as good as some others in the area. All in all, it was a very good experience. Left overs were fantastic the next day, too.
(5)
Phil N.
My favorite Indian buffet so far. My friend and I arrived kind of late for the lunch buffet, so we missed the "freshest" time, but the food was excellent. My buddy agreed and he spend 3 months travelling India so I will take his word for it as well. The 5 star rating is based on buffet star quality keep in mind
(5)
Conor G.
Mediocre food in a dumpy space, with terrible customer service. Be careful using groupons here too, because they don't understand how they work.
(1)
Sanjeev m.
We used them to cater a Veg meal at our house, they provided a wonderful selection of veg dishes including 2 appetizers, 2 vegetable curries, sambhar (lentil soup) and lemon rice, Naan and dessert. They also included raita, pickle, and all other condiments (like chutneys ....) Everything was tasty and fresh. Dessert was unique Beetroot Halwa (like Carrot halwa, a bit darker). Total price was $7/person (for 7 dishes, meat dishes were addition $1-2). We ordered for 30 people but it was good enough to feed almost 45 people and there were still some left overs. They would also deliver, for additional $40. We have also seen them cater where they send a chef onsite with all the setup for a "dosa" party, it costs an additional $200 for the chef but it was a great hit, everyone had their favorite variety of dosa and uttapam.
(4)
Sairam S.
Their buffets are really good and have a lot of choices. Their afternoon lunch boxes for $5.00 are also very filling and certainly worth the money.
(4)
D G.
Food is good ..am a veg and most of the dishes ive tried has been good ..wish they had a better ambience. some of my non-veg friends have often complained about their dish and always found the veg dish better.. overall good food ..not so good location and ambience
(3)
Truth T.
There is only one word to describe the quality and service offered at this place 'Outstanding' The quantity they give is more than sufficient and two or three people can comfortably eat on one single order. Whether it is South Indian, North indian or Indo Chinese , the preparations exceeds our expectations.
(5)
Andrew T.
Hidden in a very slow/quiet and near dead strip mall, but wow this place surprises you when you walk in. I would consider this place a hidden jewel to some degree since the parking lot is so dilapidated and is easily overseen. The interior was rather drab, but my main reason for going to restaurants is not for their interior design. All in all, the food was very flavorful and I recommend the tandoori chicken. Their naan is the best I have tried thus far. Can't complain. Looks like they have a lunch buffet. I went there for dinner though.
(2)
Ganesh M.
Frankly saying... u will have best experience *conditions apply: when u go for FRIDAY DINNER BUFFET. 1. Food is tasty and spicy. 2. If you are looking for south indian tastes, this is the restaurant. for rest of the days, i have a feeling that they are making only few items fresh. I took 4 other chances during weekdays lunch, which was cheap $6.99 for non-veg lunch and $5.99 for veg lunch. i felt dhal was fresh, sweet was good, Naan was good, okra curry was good, rice was yesterdays, chicken was like rubberish... heated several times. But all these problems will not apply on friday dinner buffet.
(3)
Linda K.
My favorite Indian restaurant outside of Devon Ave. in Chicago. We started coming here after my first trip to South India 7 years ago -- this restaurant has been under several owners. I prefer South Indian food over North Indian food, and this restaurant is a little piece of South Indian food heaven for me! The drabness of the inside doesn't bother me because I've been to India 6 times so I've seen all types of restaurants -- it's the food that counts and the food here is the real deal. I like that it's spicey and that they don't tone it down for the goras. In fact, I won't even go into an Indian restaurant if there are a lot of non-Indians eating there because I know the food is for the western palate, not Indian. Great buffet with ample choice of desserts, unlimited dosas, large menu selection, and REAL South Indian coffee if you ask for it. The manager is always very attentive and friendly. We go just about every other week so I can get my fix for authentic South Indian food just like I eat in Chennai. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because the inside could be spruced up a bit.
(4)
K S.
We stopped at Dakshin for dinner after a lovely evening at the Morton Arboretum, and WOW is all I can say. Wednesday night is all-you-can-eat Dosa Night, much to our delight. We had the Mysore masala dosa, onion dosa, podi dosa, pav bhaji dosa, and Schezwan dosa, all of which were amazing. The chocolate dosa for dessert was fantastic. The buffet that came with the dosa was also delicious. Can't say enough about this place. Service is fantastic too, the wait staff are attentive and quick. As a South Indian, I know my dosas, and this is one of my new favorite spots in the Chicagoland area for dosa!
(5)
Avinash K.
This was a decent place to have lunch buffet. For me personally the surprising thing was we got DOSA and NAAN to our table. Also, had POORI in the buffet. If you are around the area, probably a good place to have weekend buffet.
(3)
Jenn H.
This place is really good! The samosas are perfect. We had the Gobi Manchurian, which was a saucy fried cauliflower...would definitely recommend it! Their aloo paratha bread is sooooo good too. They were understaffed when we went and the service wasn't the greatest, but to make up for it, they gave us a free bowl of curry and mango lassi shakes, which was really nice. The prices are very agreeable. We'll be back!
(4)
ind g.
This is definitely the best Indian restaurant in Naperville. My thoughts on the interior being drab remain the same. Best Indian food if you want to order for a party or a large group.
(4)
Dipti S.
Dakshin (Naperville location)..my first yelp review for you!! I couldn't resist myself from giving this restaurant a 5star..they deserve this. Very important for me is the Staff and the service, the staff is very attentive without being too clingy ... when you enter the restaurant, you feel welcoming!! Food: touchdown!! It's the best indian food I've had in the USA..my favorites are 1. Dal makhani (still salivating) - it's different and delicious. 2. Brinjal Chops: no words for it.. Absolutely the best...we had placed a catering order for Diwali and my office colleagues still can't quite forget the tangy yummy eggplant. 3. U should try this desert .." Beet halwa" ..I know it sounds weird but believe me it's heaven... As always they have the best buffet in the state .. Me and my husband are your biggest fans and will still continue to make the long drive from to city to the burbs for my Indian food fix !!
(5)
Sunny R.
Authentic South Indian Food. I am a south Indian and I am fed up of south Indian food served in most Indian restaurants. At last, I discovered Dakshin that serves authentic south Indian food. I rate it higher than Saravana Bhavan in north America. I will return to this restaurant next time I am in Naoerville, IL. Good food at moderate prices. North Indians going there for oily and fatty food will be disappointed, though.
(5)
Laureen D.
The food was very good! I would definitely order takeout from here again! Loved the garlic naan and the samosas!
(4)
Jin V.
Overall good experience. You have to have some experience with South Indian food to help evaluate the balance of spices in each dish. Staff was friendly. Buffet on sunday has decent selection of vegetarian selection. Non- veg is on the short side but adequate. I would definitely come back. Prices are balanced.
(4)
Jai S.
THE BEST SOUTH INDIAN FOOD IN CHICAGO LAND !!! P.E.R.I.O.D.! I am a foodie.. being from the south of India, South Indian food finds a special place in my heart. Dakshin @ Naperville serves the best South Indian food in Chicago land. In fact I would even say, of all the south Indian food I have had in all of New Jersey and Chicago land put together, this restaurant takes the cake .. and by miles!! OMG.. cannot stop smiling.. I need to go there tomorrow itself :) Buffet: Their lunch buffet is amazing. Being a vegetarian, I feel like there are plenty of options, which I sadly cannot say for any other Indian lunch buffet I have had in the US. Not only do they serve amazing rasam, sambaar, mor kozhumbu, potato curry, okra curry, avial kurma (a combination of these on different days), they also serve excellent tasting tandoori items. I really like the appetizers, dosa and Paneer butter masala. did I mention that they have the best rasam ever.. Superb garlic pepper rasam.. If you ever are down with a cold, just have a glass full of their rasam and you ll be back in action in no time! Lets talk about their dessert. They have a minimum of 7 items whenever I have been there. The Sevai payasam always delivers!! The mango ice cream is a hit item. The caramel custard could do with little less cardamom flavor, nevertheless tasty. Al a Carte' - I have recently discovered that this place serves super duper Indo Chinese food! Imagine my delight when I discovered their amazing Fried rice and indo chinese starters and entrees. I dont have to drive all the way to Schaumburg for good Indo Chinese food. The staff at this location is very good, really down to earth and service oriented. Definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Naperville!! Keep it up Dakshin!!
(5)
Sam S.
We went to the dinner buffet on a Friday night. The items in the buffet included snacks such as pakodi and puri/sag, chinese dish (chinese hakka noodles), and indian dishes (panneer makhani, aloo subji, palak paneer, dal makhani, sambar, rasam, fried rice,w hite rice). Dosa (unlimited) is included with the buffet and brought to the table. The dosa was thin but tasted ok (cannot say it was great). The aloo curry that was served with the dosa smelled stale to us and so we did not eat it much. The sambar tasted good, but was watery. There were 3 chutneys on one separate table in the buffet (coconut chutney, tamarind chutney and one other chutney), which tasted very good and went well with the dosas. The general taste of the items on the buffet was very good. Rasam is excellent and worth drinking like soup. However having gone to this dinner buffet twice in the last 2 years, one thing we noticed, and this is our opinion (others may disagree), there is a generous quantity of baking soda in the food. Adding baking soda to the food causes less food to be eaten since the baking soda produces gas in the stomach and gives the appearance of stomach being full and bloated. Some Indian restaurants do this to the buffet items so people will not eat too much and they need not prepare dishes again for the next day. Last time we ate here, we had no stomach issues despite the (in our opinion) baking soda. This time however, my wife developed some stomach issues and vomited about an hour after eating, but fortunately she did not develop any other health problems. In our opinion again, this was caused by the baking soda in the food. The dessert selection consisted of desi kulfi, gulab jamun and fruit salad, all of which tasted excellent. There were the usual side accompaniements such as desi pickles, hot chutneys etc all of which tasted good. Service was satisfactory. Due to the small space inside, it does get a bit noisy sometimes, especially when groups with children and/or teenagers descend. On the day we went, a group of 10 young desi guys came in and they were talking so loudly that though we were several tables apart, we could clearly hear every word they spoke. Parking is free and available in plenty. But for the (in our opinion) baking soda in the food, we would rate this restaurant as outstanding. In our opinion, the cost of the buffet is too high compared to its quality, however there is a decent variety of food on the buffet to cater to different tastes.
(3)
Shishir S.
A slightly above average Indian restaurant in the Naperville area. The service is good and the food is pretty nice though nothing you'd talk about the day after. I'd categorize this as a safe bet with a decent weekend lunch buffet. They do the Indo-Chinese stuff pretty well though I've just tried their chili chicken and noodles in that section.
(3)
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Address :1570 W Ogden Ave,Ste 101
Naperville, IL, 60540
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
Terrence B.
We went here last night. We decided to do takeout after seeing the other reviews that the place is a bit dumpy. Placed our order on the phone. It was a tad difficult to understand the guy on the phone and he never asked for a name to put the order under so I was a bit nervous if he got our order right. Showing up, the restaurant was much nicer inside than I was expecting (I've become accustomed to really dumpy indian restaurants).... but it was an absolute gost town inside. The second nice surprise was that our order was ready on time and was correct. The man at the counter was well presenting and quite nice. The food was pretty good... A bit small serving size for the price The real difficulty in this place is the absolute plethora of indian restaurants in the area. If you value absolute closeness as the primary objective, you can't go wrong.... but there is just so many other options in the area to recommend this place. Nothing wrong with the place, yet nothing great.
(3)Abha S.
Love the masala dosa here (they have a wide variety but I always end up with the masala dosa!) and the delish chutney's and follow it up with a cup of masala chai. Never disappoints :D Every time I crave a dosa I am here :)
(4)Andrew T.
I'm impressed with Dakshin based on a good variety of vegetarian dishes. They do have both meat and vegetarian, but I felt like the meat was just okay - some standard chicken tikka masala, some very fatty/bone-in (although flavorful) goat, and a some chicken tandoori that looked a little dry, so I kind of confined myself to some excellent paneer and chick pea dishes. It's important to mention that this was a Friday night dinner buffet, which is a pleasant surprise. They also served us some pretty good dosa and decent naan, but it took forever to an fellow diner to get a Coke to go with his meal. They weren't hugely busy, so I'm not sure why. In addition to the buffet, they had several deserts: rice kheer, mango khulfi, and carrot halwa. I didn't sample the carrot, but the kheer was pretty tasty, and the khulfi was excellent. The price is right, and the food is good - I can see a fourth star if, as other who have been multiple times have reported, the dishes vary from week to week.
(3)Min C.
Divine Indian food- consistent performance for years--- every time.
(5)Lil S.
The food here has always been good in the 3 years that hubby and I have been coming. Some of our favorites are the Veggie Samosas, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi and Lamb Moghalai. The garlic naan is also delicious. It's usually pretty empty here, unless you go on the weekend, and even then, it doesn't tend to get busy til later. The decor (what little there is) could seriously use some updating. Very plain interior, stark white walls. We usually buy a restaurant.com coupon when we dine here. They also DO NOT serve alcohol.
(3)Rajeev B.
Half cooked vadas, flies in dinning area. When the guests complained about flies, manager's response was "sorry sir we have tried our best, these flies don't go". Dosas were with cold masala. Chicken was too dry. Total waste of money
(1)Zamir S.
This place is excellent, to say it like a true Desi - "it is simply first class". I believe the name of the restaurant has changed to Dakshin. The chef puts time and care in the food. The vegetarian tastes are original and you will not be disappointed. I have not tried the few non-veg dishes, but would not recommend them This is truly a vegetarian place that just wants to cater to those few meat eaters that come in every now and then. I've had every dish in the buffet many times, and each time they even add a creative dish almost fusion-like. They bring small dosas (unlimited) to your table fresh off the tawa (few Indian buffets do this). I almost forgot to mention that they serve Indo-Chinese as well, and they do it right.
(5)Gwendolyn H.
I found the service very good and the lunch buffet was tasty. I would go back again.
(4)Franchesca M.
Location was very difficult to find and that was with a quality GPS. The portion size was not great for $24. The crepe was hard and the nan was burned instead of light golden brown/white. I wouldn't return here due to the quality of the food and taste. I know I spoke about portion size but I am actually happy that the portions were small due to the food not being so to my liking. However, if they are in business someone is eating the food.
(2)charlotte s.
for what it is, i'd come back. the restaurant is located in a rather deserted strip mall with just a few other indian shops next door... possibly owned by the same people but i don't know. the owners must certainly have other businesses too because i don't see how they would ever be able to survive on this restaurant alone. it's a decent sized dining room with a few random decorations. there weren't any other diners when my brother and i came for dinner one weeknight... just a few men gathered at one of the tables talking and drinking coffee/tea with a bunch of newspapers n such... probably friends of the owners or family? the service was friendly and the food was good and filling... though we did order quite a bit of food just cus we wanted to eat a few different dishes. we had veggie samosas, chicken tikka masala, palak paneer, and naan (which were super fresh and made to order... so make sure you order enough first time around because if you order more after your meal has arrived it will take a long time... we ordered 3 naans for two but if you don't eat that much then one per person should be enough) and rice came with the food as well. we had enough left over to take home and eat as a snack the next day. prices are relatively reasonable too. i'd definitely come back if i was in the area. for lunch i think they have a buffet.
(4)Alan L.
Arrived at 6pm we were the only people in the restaurant until we left, the biggest disappointment was there is no alcohol, not even beer. The water was warm they said they had no ice? Ordered a vegetarian combo platter everything was fried and overlooked , dry and all tasted the same. The chicken Madras was ok nothing worth mentioning. The decor was depressing, don't think we will be back anytime soon.
(2)Brandy W.
I thought this place deserved 4-5 stars. We were the only table seated the entire evening. In their defense, it was snowing and people simply don't know how to drive and probably saw themselves being home as a better option. The menu is HUGE. They have mostly southern specialties but definitely have some items I've never heard of before. We were never asked if we wanted drinks, so we simply drank water the entire night (all 6 of us!). I imagine we would've ordered and brought the bill higher if they would have simply asked. Their loss. They were great about refilling waters, however. We started with veggie samosas and they were excellent. I had the Dal Makhani as my entree and it was awesome. Perfectly simmered lentils and perfect spicing. The rest of the table enjoyed meat dishes. I know a few had chicken curry and one had chicken mushroom. The other two... don't remember. We all really enjoyed our meals. I'm not sure what the items come with standard because we all upgraded our entrees to come with a bunch of things for like $4 more. We had a side of soup, something sweet/sour, a dessert, onions/lime, yogurt sauce, 4 slices of naan (=1 whole round each), basmati rice, and our entrees. The portions for our entrees were quite large and we were all super stuffed when we left. We had a $25 off restaurant.com gift certificate and 18% gratuity was included. For 6 FULL entrees (enough for two meals = leftovers) with sides and an appetizer, the bill came to $128. We used the coupon and were down to $103. I'd say that wasn't so terrible because it averaged to about $17 per person for a nice experience and great food. Definitely use the coupon and order sides. We'll definitely go back. It was excellent. The location was terrible as you cannot see it off the road (Ogden) unless you're searching for it. It's in the very corner of the strip mall next to a Hookah lounge. The big deserted building next to it looks like it used to be a Kmart or something. There's also a BBQ pit place in the same lot.
(4)Jon T.
Five of us hit this restaurant on a Friday evening. We had reservations for 6:30 which turned out to be unnecessary. When we arrived there was only one other group seated, so we had our doubts. It is not the easiest place to find tucked back into the corner of a strip mall. It turns out that Friday night features a buffet. There is a vegetarian section and a non-vegetarian section. The surprise for me was that the vegetarian dishes were very much like the food that our Gujarati friends serve us at their home in St Louis, even though Dakshin is south Indian. This food is not the standard meat curries that you find at the cookie cutter Indian restaurants. Those may be on the menu that we did not peruse. There was rasam, and sambar. There were very good mixed vegetables, excellent okra as well as a delicately seasoned green bean dish with channa dal. There was, of course, plain rice and well seasoned rice. There was a very nice mattar paneer with a delicious red sauce as well as some of the best saag I have had in some time. This was not all, there were more things that I cannot remember. On the non-vegetarian line-up were an excellent goat curry, biryani chicken, chile chicken (also excellent) and the obligatory tandoori chicken. The naan was wonderful and we enjoyed at least six chutneys. We also had dosas and pooris. I liked the yogurt rice which was unlike anything I have had. I did not sample the sweet dessert offerings. The place was practically full of Indian families when we finished and reluctantly departed. It was a very pleasant evening and I would like to return. It's too bad we don't live closer. The food is more home-style and breaks away from the run-of-the-mill predictable Indian to be found at many restaurants. If you have an appreciation for some of the regional differences of Indian cooking, give this a try on a weekend evening when the buffet is in operation.
(4)Sue T.
Still good but it seems like the Friday night buffet choices have been reduced. Several preparations were mostly sauce/liquid with very few vegetables. Even the dal was runny. Four of the hot dishes and two of the cold were white rice with various seasonings.
(3)Michelle K.
The best part about buffets is that you can try a bunch of random dishes with no commitment! Buffets are the "Casual Encounters" section of restaurant industry. When Dakshin popped up as a Groupon a few months ago, I was eager to hit up their buffet, and I'm glad I did. The server brought dosas and naan to our table, which were very good, especially the light, slightly crispy dosas. I tried their lamb biryani and chicken makhani, which were fine, but I found myself returning most often to the vegetarian side table for delicious veggie samosas, pakoras, and aloo gobi. There was also a mushroom curry that was creamy, spicy, and awesome. I probably wouldn't have ordered that one on my own. Hooray for buffets!
(4)J W.
The best samosas in town are here. We went on a weeknight and it was not busy. We ordered the samosas, aloo gobi, and a spinach dish. The wait staff was incredibly nice and since we were new they sent a few things to our table that were complimentary, which was very nice. We tried the dosas and the lentil soup, which was very good. The thing that I liked the best, besides the samosas was that the vegetables were not cooked to oblivion in the dishes. They still were not only recognizable, but had structural integrity... For example the peppers were still a little crunchy and that was nice. The portions were generous. They had a great spicy tamarin chutney, but their mint chutney wasn't as good as some others in the area. All in all, it was a very good experience. Left overs were fantastic the next day, too.
(5)Phil N.
My favorite Indian buffet so far. My friend and I arrived kind of late for the lunch buffet, so we missed the "freshest" time, but the food was excellent. My buddy agreed and he spend 3 months travelling India so I will take his word for it as well. The 5 star rating is based on buffet star quality keep in mind
(5)Conor G.
Mediocre food in a dumpy space, with terrible customer service. Be careful using groupons here too, because they don't understand how they work.
(1)Sanjeev m.
We used them to cater a Veg meal at our house, they provided a wonderful selection of veg dishes including 2 appetizers, 2 vegetable curries, sambhar (lentil soup) and lemon rice, Naan and dessert. They also included raita, pickle, and all other condiments (like chutneys ....) Everything was tasty and fresh. Dessert was unique Beetroot Halwa (like Carrot halwa, a bit darker). Total price was $7/person (for 7 dishes, meat dishes were addition $1-2). We ordered for 30 people but it was good enough to feed almost 45 people and there were still some left overs. They would also deliver, for additional $40. We have also seen them cater where they send a chef onsite with all the setup for a "dosa" party, it costs an additional $200 for the chef but it was a great hit, everyone had their favorite variety of dosa and uttapam.
(4)Sairam S.
Their buffets are really good and have a lot of choices. Their afternoon lunch boxes for $5.00 are also very filling and certainly worth the money.
(4)D G.
Food is good ..am a veg and most of the dishes ive tried has been good ..wish they had a better ambience. some of my non-veg friends have often complained about their dish and always found the veg dish better.. overall good food ..not so good location and ambience
(3)Truth T.
There is only one word to describe the quality and service offered at this place 'Outstanding' The quantity they give is more than sufficient and two or three people can comfortably eat on one single order. Whether it is South Indian, North indian or Indo Chinese , the preparations exceeds our expectations.
(5)Andrew T.
Hidden in a very slow/quiet and near dead strip mall, but wow this place surprises you when you walk in. I would consider this place a hidden jewel to some degree since the parking lot is so dilapidated and is easily overseen. The interior was rather drab, but my main reason for going to restaurants is not for their interior design. All in all, the food was very flavorful and I recommend the tandoori chicken. Their naan is the best I have tried thus far. Can't complain. Looks like they have a lunch buffet. I went there for dinner though.
(2)Ganesh M.
Frankly saying... u will have best experience *conditions apply: when u go for FRIDAY DINNER BUFFET. 1. Food is tasty and spicy. 2. If you are looking for south indian tastes, this is the restaurant. for rest of the days, i have a feeling that they are making only few items fresh. I took 4 other chances during weekdays lunch, which was cheap $6.99 for non-veg lunch and $5.99 for veg lunch. i felt dhal was fresh, sweet was good, Naan was good, okra curry was good, rice was yesterdays, chicken was like rubberish... heated several times. But all these problems will not apply on friday dinner buffet.
(3)Linda K.
My favorite Indian restaurant outside of Devon Ave. in Chicago. We started coming here after my first trip to South India 7 years ago -- this restaurant has been under several owners. I prefer South Indian food over North Indian food, and this restaurant is a little piece of South Indian food heaven for me! The drabness of the inside doesn't bother me because I've been to India 6 times so I've seen all types of restaurants -- it's the food that counts and the food here is the real deal. I like that it's spicey and that they don't tone it down for the goras. In fact, I won't even go into an Indian restaurant if there are a lot of non-Indians eating there because I know the food is for the western palate, not Indian. Great buffet with ample choice of desserts, unlimited dosas, large menu selection, and REAL South Indian coffee if you ask for it. The manager is always very attentive and friendly. We go just about every other week so I can get my fix for authentic South Indian food just like I eat in Chennai. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because the inside could be spruced up a bit.
(4)K S.
We stopped at Dakshin for dinner after a lovely evening at the Morton Arboretum, and WOW is all I can say. Wednesday night is all-you-can-eat Dosa Night, much to our delight. We had the Mysore masala dosa, onion dosa, podi dosa, pav bhaji dosa, and Schezwan dosa, all of which were amazing. The chocolate dosa for dessert was fantastic. The buffet that came with the dosa was also delicious. Can't say enough about this place. Service is fantastic too, the wait staff are attentive and quick. As a South Indian, I know my dosas, and this is one of my new favorite spots in the Chicagoland area for dosa!
(5)Avinash K.
This was a decent place to have lunch buffet. For me personally the surprising thing was we got DOSA and NAAN to our table. Also, had POORI in the buffet. If you are around the area, probably a good place to have weekend buffet.
(3)Jenn H.
This place is really good! The samosas are perfect. We had the Gobi Manchurian, which was a saucy fried cauliflower...would definitely recommend it! Their aloo paratha bread is sooooo good too. They were understaffed when we went and the service wasn't the greatest, but to make up for it, they gave us a free bowl of curry and mango lassi shakes, which was really nice. The prices are very agreeable. We'll be back!
(4)ind g.
This is definitely the best Indian restaurant in Naperville. My thoughts on the interior being drab remain the same. Best Indian food if you want to order for a party or a large group.
(4)Dipti S.
Dakshin (Naperville location)..my first yelp review for you!! I couldn't resist myself from giving this restaurant a 5star..they deserve this. Very important for me is the Staff and the service, the staff is very attentive without being too clingy ... when you enter the restaurant, you feel welcoming!! Food: touchdown!! It's the best indian food I've had in the USA..my favorites are 1. Dal makhani (still salivating) - it's different and delicious. 2. Brinjal Chops: no words for it.. Absolutely the best...we had placed a catering order for Diwali and my office colleagues still can't quite forget the tangy yummy eggplant. 3. U should try this desert .." Beet halwa" ..I know it sounds weird but believe me it's heaven... As always they have the best buffet in the state .. Me and my husband are your biggest fans and will still continue to make the long drive from to city to the burbs for my Indian food fix !!
(5)Sunny R.
Authentic South Indian Food. I am a south Indian and I am fed up of south Indian food served in most Indian restaurants. At last, I discovered Dakshin that serves authentic south Indian food. I rate it higher than Saravana Bhavan in north America. I will return to this restaurant next time I am in Naoerville, IL. Good food at moderate prices. North Indians going there for oily and fatty food will be disappointed, though.
(5)Laureen D.
The food was very good! I would definitely order takeout from here again! Loved the garlic naan and the samosas!
(4)Jin V.
Overall good experience. You have to have some experience with South Indian food to help evaluate the balance of spices in each dish. Staff was friendly. Buffet on sunday has decent selection of vegetarian selection. Non- veg is on the short side but adequate. I would definitely come back. Prices are balanced.
(4)Jai S.
THE BEST SOUTH INDIAN FOOD IN CHICAGO LAND !!! P.E.R.I.O.D.! I am a foodie.. being from the south of India, South Indian food finds a special place in my heart. Dakshin @ Naperville serves the best South Indian food in Chicago land. In fact I would even say, of all the south Indian food I have had in all of New Jersey and Chicago land put together, this restaurant takes the cake .. and by miles!! OMG.. cannot stop smiling.. I need to go there tomorrow itself :) Buffet: Their lunch buffet is amazing. Being a vegetarian, I feel like there are plenty of options, which I sadly cannot say for any other Indian lunch buffet I have had in the US. Not only do they serve amazing rasam, sambaar, mor kozhumbu, potato curry, okra curry, avial kurma (a combination of these on different days), they also serve excellent tasting tandoori items. I really like the appetizers, dosa and Paneer butter masala. did I mention that they have the best rasam ever.. Superb garlic pepper rasam.. If you ever are down with a cold, just have a glass full of their rasam and you ll be back in action in no time! Lets talk about their dessert. They have a minimum of 7 items whenever I have been there. The Sevai payasam always delivers!! The mango ice cream is a hit item. The caramel custard could do with little less cardamom flavor, nevertheless tasty. Al a Carte' - I have recently discovered that this place serves super duper Indo Chinese food! Imagine my delight when I discovered their amazing Fried rice and indo chinese starters and entrees. I dont have to drive all the way to Schaumburg for good Indo Chinese food. The staff at this location is very good, really down to earth and service oriented. Definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Naperville!! Keep it up Dakshin!!
(5)Sam S.
We went to the dinner buffet on a Friday night. The items in the buffet included snacks such as pakodi and puri/sag, chinese dish (chinese hakka noodles), and indian dishes (panneer makhani, aloo subji, palak paneer, dal makhani, sambar, rasam, fried rice,w hite rice). Dosa (unlimited) is included with the buffet and brought to the table. The dosa was thin but tasted ok (cannot say it was great). The aloo curry that was served with the dosa smelled stale to us and so we did not eat it much. The sambar tasted good, but was watery. There were 3 chutneys on one separate table in the buffet (coconut chutney, tamarind chutney and one other chutney), which tasted very good and went well with the dosas. The general taste of the items on the buffet was very good. Rasam is excellent and worth drinking like soup. However having gone to this dinner buffet twice in the last 2 years, one thing we noticed, and this is our opinion (others may disagree), there is a generous quantity of baking soda in the food. Adding baking soda to the food causes less food to be eaten since the baking soda produces gas in the stomach and gives the appearance of stomach being full and bloated. Some Indian restaurants do this to the buffet items so people will not eat too much and they need not prepare dishes again for the next day. Last time we ate here, we had no stomach issues despite the (in our opinion) baking soda. This time however, my wife developed some stomach issues and vomited about an hour after eating, but fortunately she did not develop any other health problems. In our opinion again, this was caused by the baking soda in the food. The dessert selection consisted of desi kulfi, gulab jamun and fruit salad, all of which tasted excellent. There were the usual side accompaniements such as desi pickles, hot chutneys etc all of which tasted good. Service was satisfactory. Due to the small space inside, it does get a bit noisy sometimes, especially when groups with children and/or teenagers descend. On the day we went, a group of 10 young desi guys came in and they were talking so loudly that though we were several tables apart, we could clearly hear every word they spoke. Parking is free and available in plenty. But for the (in our opinion) baking soda in the food, we would rate this restaurant as outstanding. In our opinion, the cost of the buffet is too high compared to its quality, however there is a decent variety of food on the buffet to cater to different tastes.
(3)Shishir S.
A slightly above average Indian restaurant in the Naperville area. The service is good and the food is pretty nice though nothing you'd talk about the day after. I'd categorize this as a safe bet with a decent weekend lunch buffet. They do the Indo-Chinese stuff pretty well though I've just tried their chili chicken and noodles in that section.
(3)